Infrastructure Projects in Fragile Regions caused Manipur Landslide

• Landslides have killed at least 125 people across four northeastern States this year and half died working on a railway project at Tupul substation in Manipur’s Noney district.
• Railways have blamed jhum or shifting or slash-and-burn cultivation on hill slopes for tragedy.

About Jiribam-Imphal railway

• Sanctioned in February 2005 as a national project
• Length: 10.625 km
• Vital segment of Trans-Asian Railway envisaged as an integrated freight railway network across Europe and Asia.
• It will connect Manipur’s Jiribam, a town on Assam border and Imphal.
• Significance: Reduce travel time from existing 10-12 hours to three hours.
• Project involves 46 tunnels.
• Tunnel number 12: India’s longest railway tunnel at 11.55 km
• One rail bridge near Noney is being built at pier height of 141 metres, world’s tallest.

Why are most landslide victims combatants?

• India’s northeast comprising Manipur and seven other States is 6th most earthquake-prone belt in the world.
• Geologically young hills of region are landslide-prone and heavy rains allow working season of six months.
• Extremist groups affected the project until 107 Infantry Battalion started protecting the stretch in 2019.
• Landslide hit the unit location at Tupul railway yard construction camp and sliding debris blocked Ijei River temporarily, creating a dam-like situation.

What caused the Tupul landslide?

• The traditional practice of jhum or shifting cultivation.
• Jhum is practised on hill slopes by clearing vegetation.
• Projects do not factor in climate change which has been causing short bursts of heavy rainfall over a small area instead of moderate showers spread over a larger area.

How can disasters be averted?

• Consult local people for sustainable projects
• Execute project with adequate geotechnical investigation of the soil.
• Adopt structural measures for stabilisation and control of landslides.
• Integrate national landslide susceptibility mapping with infrastructure development and planning in hilly or mountainous terrain.
• GSI advised structural and non-structural measures for mitigating or preventing landslides.
• Structural measures:
  • Engineering works for stabilisation
  • Control of landslides
• Non-structural measures:
  • Emphasise identification and avoidance of landslide-prone areas through monitoring and warning systems.